The season of goodwill is upon us! The shops online and in the High Streets are buzzing with Christmas fare. There are 3 for 2 and 50% off, etc, enticing us to spend our hard-earned cash. But I have become more savvy over the years. I now make a list and stick to it with self-inflicted discipline to keep myself from going overboard. I learned my lesson the hard way years ago, and now I am one step ahead of the crafty retailers’ advertising. Seriously, write a list. I do mine around the beginning of August (yes, as early as that). And, bit by bit, I find out what the grandkids have their little hearts set on, except George, who is 7 and will chop and change from one week to the next and start putting money aside when I price things up. The older grandkids all want money, so that is easy, and I begin to put money away for them from the beginning of the year; believe me, you don't notice it so much. Around October, I look at my Christmas decoration...
Halloween is just a few weeks away, and already I have seen windows and doors being prepared for the occasion, with thinned-out cotton wool resembling cobwebs and clingfilm strips to add a bit of drama, large hairy spiders glued to doorways, and witches' broomsticks propped up against a fence, and bats hidden in hedges.
Shop windows have their Halloween displays and things to entice the consumer to buy. But lots of stuff can be made at home from materials found around the house or the charity shops. After all, it is just a fun night, and it is for one night. There is a great sense of achievement when you create something original, and it has cost you zero pounds! If anyone has any ideas for homemade items, video links, etc, put them in the comments. Please keep links for Halloween only. Other links will be deleted if not related to the topic. I will be putting a Christmas post up shortly, where links to homemade Christmas stuff will be most welcome.
It is a time when children can allow their imaginations to dive into a make-believe world of witches, vampires, ghouls and ghosts. Yes, for many kids it can be their favourite night of the year! They will be rehearsing their trick-or-treat door knocks and thinking about their Halloween costumes. Mums and dads will be prompted to buy that pumpkin or two (could be more). Because you cannot have Halloween without the menacing face of a pumpkin lit up in the darkness, looking very scary! We must not forget the witches’ black cat! One of my son’s adopted a black cat he named Annie, and she is definitely Halloween material. She thinks she runs the home, and will give you the evil eye if you so much as dare move her when she is taking a nap on any bed she fancies!
There will be food and sweets to prepare for the knocks on the door, not forgetting the adult/family Halloween party; well, we cannot have mum and dad left out of this, it is a family occasion after all! I expect there will be some nice drinkable cocktail brews going on there in the cauldron!
So, how did this event ever come about? I googled it, and believe it or not, it was over 2,000 years ago, and originated from the Samhain pagan festival. The Celts believed that Samhain was the one day in the year when the world would blur and the spirits of the dead could reappear. Apparently, this originated from Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. Well, I never, now I have taken the time to find out I have learned something new!
Halloween is now becoming more popular by the year in the UK. When I was a kid (many moons ago), we would go trick-or-treating, but it was never as big an occasion as it is now. And, being a 1950s kid, we did not have pumpkins; they were swede or turnip, and they looked just as good with wax candles that smoked like a chimney! Ah, the memory, great days!
On that note, I will wish you all a very scary Halloween night in advance. Have lots of fun, and beware of the ghosts looming around outside, not to mention the witches on their broomsticks up in the moonlight! As for the vampires, make sure you wear a cross. I’m not sure how you would handle the ghouls; perhaps you ought to Google that...
© October 2025 Jan Hope
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